Liquid level gauge with deflector



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 6, 1951 T. A. sT. CLAIR LIQUID LEVEL GAUGE WITH DEFLECTOR Filed July 7, y1949 mrtaaissi i 2,540,699

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFPlcs LIQUIDI-Emsauqain'rnnmaqrdii v rm s laid. hio. a corporation of Ollio y applicateur-b 1. 194. sein No. 103.381'

l ammalata-1) y l 2 e f- This invention relates to dispensing systems of preventing direct entrance of droplets into for liqueed petroleum gas and the like. and. the tube and of serving as an evaporator for more particularly, to means forV filling and droplets that impinge upon the screen. With gauging the maximum level in a tank or con this construction the gauge tube may be made a tainer for the liquid. 5 `part of the lill valve and may be made straight. It is customary in certain phases of the art Despite the fact that incoming liquid flows of handling liquened petroleum gas to store it around and adjacent the gauge tube, none is in tanks or containers which are regularly lled aspirated therein and accurate indications of and emptied. In lllng the containers `it is defluid level are maintained. sirable and necessary, from a standpoint of Aclearer understanding oi how the advansafety. to leave a vapor vspace above the maxitages may be obtained will be had from the folmum liquid level. One means for insuring that lowing detailed description of ys. .preferred em-A the iilling operation will be stopped before the bodimentvof the invention.y

tank is completely filled includes a gauge tube In the drawings: l which extends below the top of the tank by :a 1,5 Fig. l is a bottom view of a ll valve embodying distance representing the desired height of the invention with the deector removed;

vapor spaceinthetank. Duringtheiilling 'Fig.2isasectiontakenon22ofFig.l; operation the valve normally closing the upper Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of Fig. 2; end of the tube from atmosphere is opened. As Fig-; is an enlarged section through the deliquid enters the tank only gas escapes from the m ilector;

tube. but when the liquid level reaches the tube Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating further entry of liquid seals off the vapor `cham the principles of the action of the deiiector du'rber and vapor pressure forces liquid up out of ing filling;

the tube. giving visual indication that the tank Pig. is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sec-I is properly filled. 25 tion through the warp 'wires of the screen; and,

Considerable difilculty has been experienced in Fig. 'I is a section on 1-1 of Fig. 6.-

prior illl gauge devices of the type referred to, Figs. l to 3 show a fill valve including a gauge particularly where the gauge is incorporated in tube and defiector made in accordance with the the lill valve itself. Liquid entering the tank invention. The valve V has a body including a flows down along the tube and when it reaches nipple Il formed with threads or any other suitthe open end thereof is readily aspirated into the able attaching means for connection with a tank tube `giving a false indication that theillling or container. An inlet or filling bore Ilis prooperation should be stopped. Bending the tube vided in the body which communicates at its away from the flow of liquid does not solve this upper portion with an enlarged passageway I2 problem entirely because the liquid flows along containing a spring-loaded poppet I3. A sepathe tube from the filling entrance. Difliculty is rate fill valve nipple I4 is threaded to the body also encountered when the tank approaches' its and includes an inlet lport surrounded by valve full condition from liquid that splashes from the seat li normally engaged byy poppet I3. AA Surface 0f the liquid level and is drawn or closure Il may be provided when the tank is not aspirated into the gauge tube. 40 being illled. It will be understood lthat the self- It is an object of the present invention to preclosing fill valves of the type described are known vent aspiration of liquid inta the tube before the in the art and the details of the construction tank is full, thereby precluding false indications form `no part of the invention, the valvel only from the fill gauge outlet. This is accomplished being illustrated in the interests of clarity. by providing a fill valve and gauge assembly Inaccordance with the usual practice, a relief which includes a deector attached to the lower valve is provided which may be formed as deend of the gauge tube that is arranged to Drescribed in detail in the copending application of vent false indications of the fluid level. Andrew G. Johnson, Serial No. 94,383, filed May In the preferred construction the deilector 20,1949, and as described in the copending aptakes the form of a flared skirt having a mouth 5o plication -of Theodore A. St. Clair, Serial No. of greater diameter than that of the gauge tube. 58,563, filed November 5, 1948, now Patent No. concentric drip ledges surround a screen that 2,527,381. Briefly, the valve may include a sleeve lies across the mouth. The concentric drip 2i that acts as a spring guide for the relief valve ledges tend to protect the mouth from drops of spring and an inner stem 22 having a bore 23 in liquid which otherwise tend to enter the device communication with the ybore li enclosed by the and tend to collect the drops and facilitate their movable valve member 24, the details of the falling clear of the deector. The mouth, being valve construction forming no part of the invenlarger than the tube, causes reduction in gas tion. velocity by reducing the aspirating effect of the It is usual to include a dispensing means in the deector. and the screen serves the dual purpose fill `valve which, in the form shown, may be ar- 3 ranged to provide a dispensing bore 21 in the body for communication with an outlet port 28 which may be closed by valve member 29 to block communication from the outlet passage 30 in communication with an internally threaded outlet nipple 3i. The construction is of the packless type and includes a threaded operating button 32 and the handle 33. Again, detalls of the dispensing valve construction form no part of the invention.

In the valve of applicant's invention the flll gauge tube may be incorporated as parto! the till valve without danger of liquid aspiration into the tube. Thus, a bore 40 formed in the valve body communicates with a gauge tube fastened by any suitable manner in a somewhat enlarged bore 4l in the valve body. The gauge tube l2 has mounted at its lower end a deflector element D. The upper end of bore 40 communicates with a transverse bore 43 which may be closed by a movable valve member including a rubber disc Il and a manual member l5, liquid emerging from bleed hole 4G when the tank has filled. The construction of the valve member is not critical to the invention, a suitable and satisfactory arrangement being disclosed in the copending application of Andrew G. Johnson, Serial No. 94,383, i'lled May 20, 1949.

The construction of the deilector is best seen in Fig. 4. It includes a ilaring skirt having a tapered external iluid deilecting surface I9, the upper portion of the deflector being threaded or otherwise fastened to the lower end of the gauge tube 42 as at 50. The mouth 5I, of greater diameter than the tube l2, communicates with the tube, and a screen 52 is disposed across the mouth and is retained in the deiiector `by spinning over a lip 53 which serves the dual purpose of retain- Diameter of screen-1%, inches Warp wires.010 inch diameter, 30 per inch Weft wires-.008 inch diameter, 125 per inch At iirst glance it would appear that the wett wires are packed solid and they are when viewed in an axial direction, the direction from which droplets are splashed against the screen. However, as seen in Figs. 6 and 7 (which shows the screen described enlarged 12 times) the separation 'of the weft wires by the more coarselyspaced warp wires provides a tortuous path through the screen. For example, with the screen just described minute bodies of liquid may pass tln'ough the screen by moving upwardly between adjacent downward loops Li o1 one-half oi the weft wires, then axially along the warp lwires, and out between adjacent upward loops Lz of the other half oi' the weft wires. Any liquid which so penetrates the screen when it is not submerged, is broken into such nne particles as to be almost a mist, and the heat conducted to the screen by pipe 42 readily evaporates this mist.

In operation, cap I1 is removed from the usual illling nozzle connected to the valve opening the poppet I3 whereupon liquid ows down through bore Il and into the tank. As illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5, drops or droplets of iluid i flow about and along the tube and the deilector.

These drops or the illm of iluid around the deilector tend to be -aspirated into the tube. However, the mouth 5i is so much larger than the tube that the velocity of gas flow therethrough is reduced thereby reducing the aspirating effect. Furthermore, the drip ledges tend to collect the film of uid flowing along the surface of the deflector into drops which have more mass than a nlm, and accordingly tend to drop clear o1' the deector rather than to be aspirated therein. Finally, any droplets of liquid that do reach the screen (either by splashing from the surface of fluid or by the aspirating effect) are prevented from bodily entering the mouth of the tube.

The screen tends to make such droplets into line `particles or into a mist which increases the surface area many times so that the liquid evaporates from the screen and none can enter the tube to give a false reading. Thus, the cooperating ledges which prevent most of the fluid from reaching the screen, the screen itself which effectively evaporates the fluid that does reach the screen, and the large mouth 5i which reduces the aspirating effect all combine and interact to eiectively and simply solve the problem of false reading in the gauge tube.

Although I prefer to incorporate the lill gauge with the filling and dispensing valve, in the broader aspects of my invention I do not contemplate being limited to a construction wherein the fill gauge is incorporated with the illl valve. However, this is a simple and convenient construction which has formerly given trouble as described herein, but by employing a deiiector having the mode of operation disclosed the fact that incoming liquid ilows about adjacent the lill gauge tube does not give any diiculty with false readings or level indications.

Having completed a detailed description of my invention, I contemplate that modications thereof may be made without departing from the scope' of the invention as deiined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a fill valve comprising a valve body having means formed for attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a illlgauge tube extending away from said body, a lill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a-liquid deiiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fill-gauge tube, said deflector comprising a skirt-like member connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen across said mouth, and a drip ledge surrounding said screen.

2. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a iill valve comprising a valve body` having means formed for attachment to the container, a ll passageway in said body, a nllgauge tube extending away from said body, a till-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid deflector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said nil-gauge tube, said deflector comprising a skirt-like member connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen 1| across said mouth, a combined first drip ledge andscreen retainer surrounding and retaining said screen across said mouth, and a second drip ledge oi' greater diameter than said rst drip ledge surrounding said screen, said second drip ledge extending below said first drip ledge.

3. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a ll valve comprising a valve body having means formed for attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a fillgauge tube extending downwardly from said body, a fill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fill-gauge tube, said defiector comprising a skirtlike member having a flaring external deflecting surface connected at its upper end to saidtube, said defiector having a gas inlet mouth of substantialhr greater diameter than the inlet of said tube. a screen across said mouth a coinbined first drip ledge and screen retainer surrounding'and retaining said screen across said mouth and a second drip ledge of greater diameter than said first drip ledge surrounding said screen, said second drip ledge extending below said first drip ledge.

4. For use, on a container of liquefied pe- -troleum gas, nil gauge means including a body having means formed for' attachment to the container, a fill-gauge tube extending downwardly from said body, a fill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fill-gauge tube, said defiector comprising a skirt-like member connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth oi' substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen across said mouth, and a drip ledge surrounding said screen.

5. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, fill gauge means including a valve body having means formed vfor attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a fill-gauge tube extending downwardly from said body. a fill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fllllgauge tube, said defiector comprising a skirtlike membel connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substan-` tially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen across said mouth, a combined first drip ledge and screen retainer surrounding land retaining said screen across said mouth,

body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower'end of said fill-gauge tube, said deflector comprising a` skirt-like member having a aring external defiecting surface connected at its upper end to said tube, said defiector having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen across said mouth a combined first drip ledge and screen retainer surrounding and retaining said screen across said mouth and a second drip ledge of greater diameter than said first drip ledge surrounding said screen, said second drip ledge extending below said first drip ledge.

7. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a fill valve comprising a valve body having means formed for attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a lill-gauge tube extending away from said body, a fill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fill-gauge tube, said defiector comprising a skirt-like member connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen across said mouth, and a drip ledge surrounding said screen, said screen being of' Woven wire construction with the weft threads substantially closer together than the warp threads whereby droplets splashed against the screen must take a tortuous path to traverse the screen.

8. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a fill valve comprising a valve body having means formed for attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a fill-gauge tube extending downwardly from said body, a fill-gauge bore and a valve closing said bore in said body, and a liquid defiector and vaporizer to prevent aspiration of -liquid into said tube connected to the lower end of said fill-gauge tube, said defiector comprising a skirt-like member connected at its upper endto said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, a screen `across said mouth, and a drip ledge surrounding said screen, said screen being of woven wire construction with the weft threads substantially in contact and the warp threads spaced from one another whereby droplets splashed against the'screen must take a tortuous path to traverse the screen.

9. For use on a container of liquefied petroleum gas, a fill valve comprising a valve bodyhaving means formed for attachment to the container, a fill passageway in said body, a fill-gauge conduit extending away from said body. a fill-gauge bore in said body and in communication with said conduit, a valve in said body closing said bore, said fill-gauge conduit comprising a tube extending away from said valve and terminating in kmeans to prevent aspiration of liquid into said tube, said means comprising -a skirt-like defiector member connected at its upper end to said tube and having a gas inlet mouth of substantially greater diameter than the inlet of said tube, said defiector forming a rim about said mouth forming a first drip collector ledge, said means including a second drip collector ledge disposed radially within and axially above said first ledge.

TI-IEODORE A. ST. CLAIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTB Number Name Date 2,092,174 Lithgow Sept. 7, 1937 2,121,673 White June 21, 1938 2,440,230 Buttner Apr. 20, 1948 2,449,352 White Sept. 14, 1948 2,479,737 Garretson Aug. 23, 1949 

